TEAMSTERS (IBT)
Feds Raid Boston Boss' House
Federal investigators probing movie industry kickbacks and shakedowns
by Teamsters seized business records and about $50,000 in cash in a predawn
raid at the home of one of Int'l Bhd. of Teamsters
Local 25 president George W. Cashman's top
lieutenants. The July 21 raid on the Charlestown home of William O'Brien,
a longtime transportation captain in Local 25's movie crew, is the latest
twist in the two-year-long racketeering investigation into Cashman and
his aides. Reportedly, O'Brien was not home when Dep't of Labor agents
from the Office of the Inspector Gen. burst into the house armed with warrants.
In the house, agents found scores of hidden personal records allegedly
detailing activities by the union members and vendors on movies made in
New England over the past decade. Agents also reportedly found numerous
envelopes stuffed with cash, totaling roughly $50,000.
A Boston Herald source said prosecutors are working to determine where the money came from but would not confirm if it was tied to kickbacks. While allegations of shakedowns of the film industry kicked off the probe, the investigation has widened into other areas, including similar charges related to other industries such as trucking firms and air freight carriers, as well as Cashman's dealings as a member of Massport's board of directors and his ties to state officials.
O'Brien is the second movie crew member whose home has been raided. In June 2000, agents burst into the Weymouth home of ex-con and reputed mobster James P. Flynn, who oversees the movie crew and decides who gets the plum jobs, which pay more than $2,000 a week plus thousands more in expenses and overtime. Investigators have also carted thousands of records out of Local 25's office and continue to pore through the documents.
Another new development in the case, is that investigators are reportedly looking into grants Local 25 has received from ex-Gov. Paul Cellucci's (R) administration over the past three years. Cellucci, now U.S. Ambassador to Canada, earmarked $125,000 in each of the last three budgets for Local 25. [Boston Herald 8/15/01]
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